The Book Bag: On Tour, Voices, and a Giveaway! Home World by Bonnie Milani

Home World by Bonnie Milani
Paperback: 400 Pages
Publisher: Promontory Press
Twitter hashtag: #HWorld
Home World is available as a print and e- book at Amazon

Home World is a fast paced well written story about the power and the price of love. This story takes place amid the ruins of a post-apocalyptic Waikiki. Jezekiah Van Buren thinks he has found a way to restore Earth – Home World, to the other worlds of the human commonwealth. His goal is to restore his home to her lost glory.

Ingenious even by the standards of the genetically enhanced Great Family Van Buren, Jezekiah has achieved the impossible: he has arranged a treaty that will convert Earth's ancient enemies, the Lupans, to her most powerful allies. Not only will the treaty terms make Earth rich again, it will let him escape the Ring that condemns him to be Earth's next ruler. Best of all, the treaty leaves him free to marry Keiko Yakamoto, the Samurai-trained woman he loves. Everything’s set. All Jezekiah has to do is convince his xenophobic sister to accept the Lupan's alpha warlord in marriage.

Before, that is, the assassin she's put on his tail succeeds in killing him. Or the interstellar crime ring called Ho Tong succeed in raising another rebellion. Or before his ruling relatives on competing worlds manage to execute him for treason. But Jezekiah was bred for politics and trained to rule. He’s got it all under control. Until his Lupan warlord-partner reaches Earth. And suddenly these two most powerful men find themselves in love with the same woman. A woman who just may be the most deadly assassin of them all.

Purchase Home World on Amazon

Voices

Hi Bonnie ~ Welcome to The Book Bag! I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me.

When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?

Oh, darlin' - I most definitely hear my characters' voices, and not just when I'm physically writing, either. Especially when I'm in the early stages of a story, and still getting to know my people. I don't try to shape the characters, or put words in their mouths. At that stage, I need to let them find their own voices. I have a good idea at that point as to what a given character's plot function will be (though they have a bad habit of refusing to accept it) but I can't tell who that person is until they talk to me. Only when I hear the voice can I tell where they're from, what kind of socioeconomic stratum they're from, etc. Once they start talking, I can throw incidents and ideas at them and see how they respond. Eventually, between the odd-hours brainstorming and the actual plot line, the characters gel and start making the story their own.

So during that early period I leave my mind on open. I want to see whether anything in the real world triggers a reaction from anybody in the fictional world I'm creating. It's amazing how many times it does. Only it can be down right embarrassing, too, because I've got some seriously snarky characters, and they're not at all above a running commentary on real life folk. So many's the time I've sat through a business meeting on something like up-coming insurance rate increases with a grin to rival Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Just try explaining that one!

I have a perfect example, though, of how the voices in my head work. In developing a story as complex as Home World I just could not for the life of me come up with a name for my heroine. I'd learned quite a bit about her: she's short (yea! us short girls gotta stick together!), a Samurai-trained native Hawaiian, fiery tempered, and with a heart as big as the sea. She just didn't have a name. Worse, she didn't much care for any of my suggestions. I can always tell, because when I'm off base with an element of a character, they just shut up and refuse to cooperate at all. She needed a good strong name, only NOTHING worked. I'd worked through Hawaiian names, made-up names, and was finally working through Japanese names. I tried Reiko - no go. In desperation I even tried Seiko - totally forgot it's a watch brand. And then I tried Keiko. All of a sudden villainous old Grandfather Ho (a key character who's also native Hawaiian) started punning on Keiko & keiki, the Hawaiian word for child or children. That did it. She's Keiko Yakamoto.

About the author

Bonnie vividly recalls the book that helped her decide she could out-write another writer: it was a junior reader's biography of Sir William Harvey, the 17th century English physician credited (in the West) with discovering how blood circulates. After about 30 pages of telling herself "I can write better than that!" she grabbed a crayon that just happened to be blue and started editing. She was all of seven years old at the time. Unfortunately for her juvenile bottom it was a library book. She followed the dream through college and after grad school, freelancing feature articles for newspapers along the East Coast. Milani even wrote a cover story for Science Digest!

Alas life and grown up responsibilities caught up with her and by her late twenties she put writing away with so many other dreams while she followed a ‘career track’. After losing her entire family, she realized story telling just a want but a need and a gift God gave her. So here she is, a self-declared “middle-aged pudge” working on getting back into a writer’s kind of real life!

Connect with Bonnie

Website

Check out the other stops on the tour! Then scroll down for a chance to win a copy of Home World.

WOW! blog tour for Bonnie Milani and her Sci Fi Love Story, Home World.

Monday, November 18 @ The Muffin
Stop by for an interview and book giveaway!
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

Tuesday, November 19 @ The New Book Review
Bonnie Milani gets the spotlight today at The New Book Review - find out more about this science fiction/Fantasy novel Home World.
http://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com

Wednesday, November 20 @ Steph the Bookworm
Home World giveaway and chance to chat with author Bonnie Milani as she speaks candidly on the topic of "The Importance of Networking for Authors"
http://www.stephthebookworm.com/

Thursday, November 21 @ CMash Reads
Bonnie Milani, author of Home World (Sci-Fi Fantasy novel) answers the question "Where Do You Get Your Ideas" and offers readers an opportunity to win their own copy of her new book!
http://cmashlovestoread.com/

Friday, November 22 @ Blue House Review
Join Bonnie Milani as she answers "So, Who are You Anyway" in a guest post and visit with fellow author Lauren Scharhag at Blue House Review. Bonnie has just released her debut work Home World and offers readers a giveaway of this sci-fi/fantasy love story!
http://www.bluehousereview.blogspot.com/

Monday, November 25 @ Trisha Slay
"Writing Your Way to Health" guest post by Bonnie Milani as she shares her thoughts as well as her debut sci-fi/fantasy novel Home World. Don't miss this post and fabulous opportunity at a book giveaway - good luck winning your very own copy of Home World!
http://trishaslay.com/

Tuesday, November 26 @ Selling Books
Don't miss today's author interview with Bonnie Milani and find out more about her debut sci-fi/fantasy tale Home World!
http://www.sellingbooks.com/

Wednesday, November 27 @ Book Worm
Join Anjanette Potter as she reviews the Sci-Fi/Fantasy book Home World by Bonnie Milani and enter to be part of the giveaway so you can read this great book for yourself!
http://bookworm66.wordpress.com/

Friday, November 29 @ The Book Bag
Bonnie Milani introduces her sci-fi love story. Home World to the readers at the Book Bag and also offers a guest post "Voices" and a giveaway of this fabulously received debut book!
http://susan-thebookbag.blogspot.com/

Saturday, November 30 @ Choices
Bonnie Milani shares insights into "What Makes a Good Critique" and offers Choices readers the opportunity at the giveaway of Home World.
http://madeline40.blogspot.com/

Monday, December 2 @E.M Havens
Bonnie Milani and Emily Havens spend time together chatting it up and Emily reviews Bonnie’s debut sci-fi romance Home World. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, the ladies also offer a giveaway for Home World; this is a stop you won’t want to miss.
http://www.emhavenswrites.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, December 4 @ All Things Audry
Join Bonnie Milani as she chats with Audry about "Finding Writing Time" and offers a giveaway of her exciting sci-fi fantasy book Home World.
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 5 @ Mom~E~Centric
Bonnie Milani talks to Jerri about “Dealing with Rejection” and shares more about her debut sci-fi love story Home World while generously offering a giveaway as well. This is a blog tour stop you won’t want to let slip by!
http://momecentric.com/

Monday, December 9 @ Mason Canyon
Bonnie Milani answers "How Do You Deal With Rejection" and offers a giveaway of her newly released sci-fi fantasy book Home World!
http://masoncanyon.blogspot.com/

To view all our touring authors, check out our Events Calendar. Keep up with blog stops and giveaways in real time by following us on Twitter @WOWBlogTour.

Giveaway Time!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway